How to Get My Husband on My Side

Anyhow, he was undoubtedly a strange man.

Despite the way Cesare obsessed over me and clung to me, he didn’t show the slightest hesitation using me as a pawn in his political schemes. For all I know, maybe he just thought of me as another one of his objects.

Three years ago, when I’d just gotten accustomed to the fact that I’d become fifteen year-old Rudbeckia, I made the mistake of refusing my arranged marriage to the Duke of Rembrandt.

With the foreknowledge that the duke would later become a key figure in the demise of my family, I invalidated our marriage right before the wedding was scheduled to happen using the humiliating pretense of ‘bodily incompatibility’.

I wanted to do whatever I could to protect my new family that had treated me so well and stop whatever enemies would later plot against them.

But as soon as I expressed my unwillingness to marry him, Father’s usual warm expression morphed into an ice-cold frown that made my body tremble with fear in a way I was all too familiar with. That night I was locked in my room and beaten by Cesare until I nearly passed out from pain.

It was after those events repeated themselves a couple times that I realized there was no difference between my old and new life. Maybe, in part, that was also because I knew that Rudbeckia wasn’t actually the pope’s biological daughter.

Rudbeckia’s biological mother—my mother—was killed as soon as she gave birth, before the pope met his second official lover, Carmen. Most people around me were already suspicious that I wasn’t the pope’s legitimate child, and, well, since I’d already read the story myself, I knew their suspicions were correct.

Putting on a facade and pretending to be family with people that didn’t share a drop of blood with me, it was identical to my previous life. And after I became Rudbeckia, my anorexia manifested itself again as well.

“It hurts me to see you go too. This’ll be the last time something like this happens, I promise,” said Cesare.

“But I heard it’s dangerous there…”

“Dangerous? You’ll be guarded around-the-clock by a legion of elite knights, you have nothing to worry about. I’ll try to come visit you as often as I can too. It won’t be that bad, every place has something to like about it. Just think of it as a six-month-long vacation.”

“Six months? It’s really going to be six months?”

I already knew exactly how long it was going to be but I pretended to be surprised anyway.

He chuckled and wrapped a lock of my hair around his finger, pulling it up to his nose.

“Yeah, you just have to make it six months. He won’t do anything to you regardless, so you don’t need to worry.”

That wasn’t what I was worried about.

“You’ll really come visit me often?”

“Yeah.”

I prayed that he wouldn’t.

be difficult enough as it was. Even if I refused to

start by convincing my husband and

wasn’t any different than how I’d been forced to act

***

Izek van Omerta.

successor of his father’s legendary martial arts technique, he was given the title of knight at fifteen years old and at age seventeen was

the people, but, because of his stubborn, headstrong

were his younger sister, Ellenia van Omerta, and his childhood friend, Flaya van Brianna. If I remember

a young princess, was passionately in love with the duke, but after she became the duchess of Omerta and gave birth, she ended up killing herself while

believed that a soul who committed suicide was destined for eternal

memory of a lot of the story was vague at best. I wish I could’ve remembered

any sort of coercion from his father, it was because Ellenia had been arranged to marry the pope’s

with the added difficulty of internal conflict, they were severely

of Britannia’s elite knights—that was

lightning speed to prepare the wedding. A huge dowry and an assortment of elaborate gifts were sent to Britannia, and after my marriage was

***

it, but every time I looked in the mirror I was still startled by the unfamiliar woman

eyes were shining blue lakes. Her supple cheeks and tender lips didn’t resemble my original body in the slightest. The only thing even remotely similar between my two bodies was my long hair

I looked different than the other kids around me, but, funnily enough, there are times now when I miss

with a warm smile, pulling me towards him and hugging

eighteen years old and, by the standards of this world, a fully-grown adult, but I was still considered and treated like a child in many ways. Like how Cesare would always sit me in his lap and

make a wonderful bride, my darling. The North will

“Father…”

no need to be upset. Don’t cry, my dear. We won’t be apart

ever saw each other. Of course

my delicate face covered

to miss you

brother to accompany you on the trip if I could, but it’s impossible right now,

It was scary enough seeing the visitors from the North watch our family like vultures. Did Father really

can’t accept this bullsh*t! Am I the only one who’s upset

“Enzo.”

here

hugged me tightly. Despite Enzo’s fiery temper and all the mischief he caused, I never felt uncomfortable around him. In a way, he really was the only normal

“I’ll miss you.”

miss